1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capture apparatus which can perform image capturing by using a light-emitting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many conventional image capture apparatuses use a system which performs so-called pre-flash before image capturing to determine the amount of light emission at the time of image capturing, when capturing an object image by using a light-emitting device, and determines the amount of light emission at the time of image capturing by performing photometry of reflected light from an object at the time of pre-flash.
The image capture apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-21961 receives, via an image sensor, reflected light from an object at the time of pre-flash which has passed through an imaging lens, and determines a proper amount of light emission by using an output from the image sensor. If an object is located at a near distance and an output from the image sensor exceeds a predetermined value, this apparatus stops down the imaging lens and performs pre-flash again. The apparatus then determines the amount of light emission from a proper output from the image sensor.
The photometry device of the camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-130462 is compatible with photometry in a wide luminance range which is performed by alternately repeating photometry with a long accumulation period of an image sensor and photometry with a short accumulation period.
However, according to the conventional technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-21961, when an object is located a short distance at the time of pre-flash and an output from the image sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the imaging lens is stopped down, and pre-flash is performed again. For this reason, depending on object distance conditions, it is necessary to perform pre-flash a plurality of times to determine the light amount of main light emission.
The conventional technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-130462 needs to perform pre-flash at least twice to perform photometry twice with short and long accumulation periods. In addition, since a short accumulation period is a preset accumulation period, the image sensor is saturated depending on the distance relationship with an object, resulting in a failure to properly determine the light amount of main light emission.